I vividly remember this winter storm. My husband & I were just married a little over a year and had our first baby in November of 1977. We were living in the old Brooklyn neighborhood, on 57th and Memphis just blocks from the corner of Fulton and Memphis. He was working downtown on Euclid Avenue, as computer tech for AT&T on 3rd shift. I was a stay at home mom taking care of a new baby and being a little worried seeing all the snow hoping he'd get home safely. I remember him calling me and saying, they won't let us go home. Being AT&T is a public utility, they were required to stay. They were being put up at the Bond Court Hotel. I was upset he wouldn't be home, but at least I knew he would be safe.

I was feeding the baby formula, and would be through my last can that night. How would I get to the store the next day to buy more. My parents had given our son a flexible flyer wooden sled for his first Christmas and it had a wooden baby seat attached to the back. An elderly couple lived next door to us, so I had her come over to sit with the baby so I could get to the Pick-N-Pay on the corner for more baby formula. I donned my ski jacket and boots, got out the wooden sled, grabbed to rope, and started my trek about 2 blocks to the grocery store.

It sure was a funny feeling arriving at the store, and not parking a car, but instead parking my sled! Paid for my formula and baby food and away I went. Me, my groceries in my bag on my sled being pulled on home. That was a storm I'll never forget.

Hannah

I was nine years old in Feb of 1978 and my family lived on a dairy farm, just outside of Congress (Wayne County), down a long lane. Our driveway was drifted over for about two weeks before the township finally felt sorry for us and came and dug us out! During that time, my father had to tie a rope from the door to the house to the door of the barn so that they wouldn't get lost in the blowing snow, because the cows still had to be milked! Of course, since we couldn't get out, the milk truck couldn't get in to pick up the milk, so it was all dumped behind the barn. The family joke at the time was that we just needed some sugar and we could make enough ice cream to supply the nation! I remember our school was cancelled for about a week, but even when classes resumed, my sisters and I were not able to get to the bus, which was a cause for celebration. At least once a day, a neighbor would come and check on us on their snowmobiles to make sure we had enough food. For the first three days my parents would not let us out of the house because of the bitter temperatures. I think the only reason we were allowed out was because my father was sick of doing our chores!

I was 9 months pregnant, due within 2 weeks, and just as I feared would happen, I went into labor!

This was in the evening of Jan 26th and the car was snowed in our driveway, so my husband and the neighbor had to dig us out. Fortunately we were within 10 minutes (normally) of the hospital, but with the aftermath of the blizzard it took us at least half an hour. I remember how strange it was going down Rocky River Dr. , it looked like a ghost town with cars abandoned all over the road. At the hospital they stopped my labor and I ended up delivering a healthy boy on Jan 27th!

Oh how well I remember this!!!!

We lived at the time in a rural area of Wayne County outside Doylestown on a road that sat high on a rise with a very steep grade out front. My husband was working nights that particular time and I was home with three small children. I remember how warm it was earlier that day with rain, then all of a sudden the winds shifted and everything that was water turned to ice. Very quickly our road was blown shut as there was open field across from us and nothing to break the wind and snow. Our electricity, then the phones, went out sometime during that night and by morning, the temperature in the house was 45 degrees! We had no fireplace and no way of creating any heat. There was no way anyone could get down our road to get to us.

Finally, much later that day, I looked out my kitchen window to see a vehicle driving across the fields behind us. My husband had found someone with a four-wheel drive vehicle and they came to get us via the fields rather than trying to come down the road. Our electricity did not come back on for three days and when we were finally able to get back there, we had broken pipes.

The really funny part of this is that finally, they hired earth movers to come in to open up the roads so people could get in and out. The snow plow had broken down half way up the hill, so there was an even bigger mound of snow that was again impassable. There was only a single lane finally broken through. Think schools were closed for at least 10 days; the school buses couldn’t navigate the roads. We had to dig a tunnel from the road to our mailboxes and to be said for it, the mail was delivered as soon as they were able to get down the road. Sometime later the snow plows tried to open the roads wider and systematically knocked out every single mailbox on the road! The mailboxes were set back quite some ways from the road.

The kids, on the other hand, thought this was all a great adventure! Needless to say, we now live in the city!

Cathy Akron

I was driving home from work (I was a stockboy/packer at the Sparkle Market) in Grafton, on my way home to the west side of Elyria, when my 1969 Chevy Camero died, right next to Ely Square in downtown Elyria. There was not a soul to see, anywhere. Downtown Elyria was deserted. After dozens of tries to restart it, and some praying, and after about 15 minutes, it started up and I slowly, and safely, made my way home. Brr…

Randy Cleveland

We owned a Dairy Queen Brazier business in Mentor from 1971 until 2002. During that storm my daughter and I had to travel east on Rt. 2 to exit at Rt. 306. The National Guard had that exit closed and we had to exit at Rt. 615. We made it to the store to find out that we were the only restaurant in the area to have power so of course we remained open to serve the community. All of the homes east and north of our store were without power for 3 days. We had entire familys staying in our dining room, which would seat 150, for some of that time. One family played cards while others watched the TV. We were busy, which was good, but we really enjoyed helping our customers survive the storm of 78.

Dick and Sarah Pritchard Pritchard's Dairy Queen Brazier

I was 10 years old, I remember being upset because my mom couldn't come home from work because the city roads were closed. When she finally could leave it tooI remember the snow being up passed our back door and my mom telling my dad to shovel incase there was a house fire we could get out, he shoveled forever. The best memory is when the school's finally did reopen a couple of weeks later, I walked and it was like walking in a white tunnel, the snow was shoveled so high it was above my head and I had to watch as I passed every driveway because no one could see me and I couldn't see them. I remember that like it was yesterday.

M Moore Cleveland Ohio

I was only 9 years old and I lived with my Grandparents. My Grandfather worked in the Hanna Building in downtown Cleveland and I just remember sitting in front of the window and watching the snow fall and waiting and waiting for him to come home. My Grandmother let me stay up and wait. I think he finally got home sometime after midnight. I’ll never forget it!

Adina Bedford

I was seven years old that winter and my mom was over due with having my younger brother. Her labor started while we were at church in Mansfield Ohio, and my mom had to make the 40 minute trip to Mount Vernon Ohio to the hospital where her OB/Gyn was. The trip ended up taking over two hours and they arrived just in time for my brother to be the third baby born of the new year. Now my brother lives in Alaska while he is serving our Country in the US Air Force, my mom and step-dad just got back from visiting him in Alaska for Christmas and his 30th birthday. I can not believe my little brother turned 30 this year!

Martine Uniontown Ohio

We lived downtown Dalton, Ohio. I will never forget that blizzard, because it was the only time we were able to sled down State Route 94 at night. It was awesome!

Tina

During the blizzard of 1978, I was in grade school and we lived in Fairview Park. My father was a lineman for CEI and we awoke around 4:00 AM that day to blowing wind and snow. Our basement windows had blown open. My brother had a model train and village set up in the basement and when we went down there, the town was covered in snow. Later that day, the little town had a flood.

I remember my father having to climb out our kitchen window to get to his car to go to work. We didn't see him for 3 days as they were so busy with downed power lines. The best part was no school. Thankfully, no one was hurt and we all survived. Both my parents have passed on now, so thinking of how fun that snow was for us kids and how not fun it must have been not only for my dad working in it, but my mom stuck in the house with us until we were able to go back to school.

Thanks for letting me share. Linda

I can never forget those days! I had just returned from Atlanta Georgia. I had lived there for the past 3 years and learned to drive during that time. Atlanta winter time and Cleveland winter time are two different worlds! I had a small toddler and was going though a divorce as well as the the miserable weather. I was working at the local K-Mart in the automotive department during daytime hours. The first day of the blizzard I was petrified to even think of going out and driving. I called my boss and he died laughing at me. But he said just sit tight and see what tomorrow brings. The next day I was still a nervous wreck and my stomach was in knots. I was sitting in my nightgown with my second cup of tea as I made the dreaded phone call. I told him I was still scared....his response was sit tight, I'll send one of the guys to pick you up! Eventually I learned to master those side streets of the west side of Cleveland in the worst of times. Ironically enough I now reside in Avery County NC where skiing is at its best right now as we speak. I am in the mountains and do not drive if possible in risky situations. But I am in the same boat...if I can't get to work, they'll come and pick me up!

I was living in at Fawn Lake Apartments in Olmsted Falls.

I was standing in the living room and watching out the sliding door at the roof being blown off the apartment building directly across from mine, built the same.

I was living on the second floor of a 3 story apartment building.

I was watching the roof shingles blowing off and then the planks of wood flying through the air like toothpicks!

It was my mother's birthday and she INSISTED in having my father (they lived in Parma) drive over in their Cadillac to pick me up to drive me over to my sister's home in Berea for birthday cake!

I could not refuse as it was my mother's birthday, but I was scared to death.

It was so scary watching the roof shingles and then the planks fly through the air like toothpicks and wondering what was happening to the roof on my building.

What a birthday we'll never forget. My mother is now living in Scottsdale, Arizona.

I'm in Middleburg Heights and have a basement to run down into if the weather gets scary!

Paulette Middleburg Hts.

...was my 25th birthday! My husband and I lived in an apartment complex in Parma. There was one driveway out onto Broadview Road with a slight uphill climb. When I tried to leave for work at 7:30 there were three or four cars stuck in the driveway so no one could leave! And the snow kept falling and falling. There was a grocery store behind the complex and during the afternoon my husband tried walking over there to buy me a birthday cake, but he could not make it more than 100 feet from the apartment because of the blowing snow. There was a drift at least 10 feet high. Then my father-in-law called to ask if I got the flowers he had sent. That's when I really got upset - here it is my 25th birthday and I have no cards, no flowers and NO CAKE! (My 21st birthday was almost as bad, with a big storm so my friends and I could not go out and celebrate.) We were not able to get out of our apartment until Saturday morning (the Blizzard was on Thursday, I believe). The shopping center behind us had hired earth movers to come in and remove the snow from the parking lot. They moved it behind the center, between them and our complex. Those piles of snow must have been 20 feet high on Saturday.

So, I will never forget the Blizzard of '78.

Marcia

I was living in a mobile home on Brookpark at the time. At one time during the height of the storm I know I felt that trailer move so I went into the bedroom, sat on the floor and started to say a rosary but all I could remember was Hail Mary. I could hear the sound of aluminum and metal - it was carports and sheds coming down. The roof of my neighbor's shed was partially lifted - as if opened up by a can opener. Of all the years I worked, that was the only time I can recall my office being shut down, along with the rest of the city. My brother-in-law came and got me and I spent two days with my family in Parma. Couldn't get to my parents but we were in constant contact.

One funny thing that really stands out: My sister, her neighbor and I decided to try and walk up to a local store on State Rd. to get some things. Some women asked if we wanted a ride. Would you believe it - they were on their way to the beauty shop!

It certainly was an event to remember.

Jennie

Lived just outside Streetsboro on S. R. 14 in Shalersville Township in an older housetrailer next to the welding supply my parents owned & operated (Eastep Supply, Inc.). The wind gusts caused enormous drifts and upon attempting to go outside, after forcing the storm door open – it was like being inside of an igloo (drifts were approx. 9’ high against the housetrailer doors). You could see nothing but ‘white’. Had to dig us out. Instead of hearing the normal roar of semi traffic, vehicles, etc. all that was heard was wind – was quite eerie. Traffic on Rt. 14 was almost nil – only a very few braved the winds, gusts & drifts. Townships, villages & city crews worked feverishly trying to clear roads. Our parking lot was plowed numerous times but you would have never known and only large 4-wheel drive vehicles could access the store. Many residents lost power, heat, etc. – we were fortunate to maintain utilities and remained open for those who heated with propane and needed their cylinders refilled. Several customers who lost heat literally parked on top of the Lake Rockwell hill on Rt. 14 and rolled 100# propane cylinders back to the propane refilling building (which was probably 600’) fighting the gusts of wind, accumulation of snow, etc.

Being much younger at the time, all I could think about was the beauty of the blankets & mountains of snow that surrounded us and how lucky we were to have a warm place to stay and plenty of food to eat which allowed all of our family to stay ‘put’ for several days.

Many people endured frozen water lines & frozen drain lines as the blizzard subsided and cleared. Was a very difficult time period for so many people and there didn’t appear to be any end in sight with the snow; the majority of people in our immediate area managed to survive (without catastrophic incidents) by working together and helping neighbors, etc. People w/snow mobiles and off-road vehicles assisted many residents in the area.

For me, it was just a reminder of what ‘Mother Nature’ could do

Linda

I was 21 years old, newly married, I will never forget that day. I was working at Republic Steel in Cleveland. I was on first shift that day, so I left for work about 6:00 that morning. We lived at 163rd and Miles Rd. When I left home it was actually raining as I headed down Harvard towards the mill. All of a sudden there was a loud clap of thunder and instantly the rain turned to snow. I worked at the #1 coke plant, the batteries there full of 2500 degree coke kept the area very warm, but looking out from the batteries you could see that the surrounding area was in a total white-out. just before my shift was over managers announced that all roads were closed, and that second shift workers could not get to the mill, and we would have to work another shift. We finally was freed at about 1:00a.m. the next morning. many workers instead of trying to brave the roads just slept in the lunch room. I had a Volks Wagon Beetle. A buddy and I got out on the road, became stuck in the snow many times, but we made it home in about 3 hours. My wife was sleep when I left the morning before, and she was sleep when I got in. I remember looking at her as she slept wondering what was her day like.

Greg

I was an Engineering student in my freshman year at Case, living in the dormitories on the North Side of campus. When the blizzard hit, classes were cancelled. Power and heat stayed on in the dorms, so it became an opportunity to catch up on studying.. Ok, it became an opportunity for one more party. On the second day, with the cafeterias closed, we began to get hungry. And, more horrifyingly, we had run out of beer !

Two of us had hiking boots, rucksacks, and some outdoor experience. So we braved the outdoors in search of sustenance for the rest of our group.

I can recall jumping aside as one of the old green sheet-metal bus shelters blew past us along Euclid boulevard. Walking across Euclid, we suddenly realized that we were walking on top of snowbound autos, not mere snow drifts. We finally found an open shop and purchased as much bread and peanut butter as we could carry. And, of course beer. And returned to our dormitory. We had to work our way around to find a doorway that wasn't drifted shut.

The following day there was a steady parade of students leaping out a second story window into an exceptionally deep snowdrift below it. I didn't try it myself, but those that did returned again and again.

Charles Mentor, Ohio

I worked for a computer company that had a contract at NASA and I was scheduled to start at 6 AM the morning of the storm. When I woke around 4:30 AM it was raining and the wind was howling. Not really thinking about it, I showered, dressed and ate breakfast with out turning on the news. When I went outside to leave for work the rain had turned to snow and ice was everywhere. I had to break the ice from the gate across the driveway in order to open it. I still had no idea how bad things were getting. I lived on Smith Road in Brookpark at the time and made my way to Brookpark Road. I was behind a City Bus on Brookpark Rd in front of the airport and visibility was next to zero. I could see the taillights of the bus in front of me and that was about all. I sat there for maybe ten minutes and realized that if I didn’t turn around and get out of there I was going to be in trouble. I made a U-turn and went back home. Quite a few cars ended up stuck in that area of Brookpark Road so I made the right decision. The next day I called my immediate supervisor and he told me to report to the office in Independence on Rockside and Rt 21. I made it to the office only to find I was the only peon dumb enough to venture out and spent most of the day with the branch manager. I did have to take one service call way on the East Side. That was an adventure in itself. I should have stayed in bed that day. So I survived the big storm of 1978.

I had gone to Metro Hospital for my OB appt.. The Dr. informed me that I had toxemia, and wanted to admit me right away. But my young son was with me, so I convinced the Dr. that once I drove home to drop off my son with his grandparents I'd come right back! They agreed, but with a warning....."don't waste time...a storm is on the way!" I dropped off my son, grabbed my suitcase and drove myself back up to Metro; ( it was already starting to snow heavily). I had to be admitted on complete bedrest. My pre-planned c-section would be in a week! That night the doctors and nurses all got snowed in to the hospital!! They had to sleep in any empty available beds and work shift after shift for days!! They never really complained, they just made the best out of the situation! On February 3rd, I gave birth to my 2nd son, Christopher Anthony, happy & healthy, with a great birth-story to hear every year after! ~ Ms. Aimee

Was a freshman at Bowling Green State University – Remember playing basketball outside before the rain started the night before, it was really warm. Next morning woke up to all the snow and wind. Classes and I75 were closed for 3 days. People were snowmobiling and cross country skiing down the streets. Beer and chips were the first things gone from the store shelves. We never lost heat, electricity or water so basically we partied for 3 days.

Dave in Elyria

This was the worst blizzard I ever remember. We lived in a very small community called Lake Milton, and my parents lived in Austintown. It wasn't unusual in times of severe snow, to only have one lane leading into and out of Lake Milton so we were accustomed to that. My parents left for Georgia just a few days before the storm hit, so of course they didn't buy food or anything for the house. My husband and I were responsible for caring for my parents dog, so we got into the car and headed for Austintown. Yes, the roads were bad, but we thought that as we got closer to the Youngstwn area, things would be better. We were wrong! But it was too late to turn back. Plus we couldn't leave that poor dog at home during a storm like that so we continued on. It took a lot longer than it normally would, but we finally made it! The problem at that point was, knowing that we were stranded there because there was no possible way to make it back home.There had already been broadcasts on the tv ordering people to stay off of the roads. The house that my parents were renting was an older house with very little insulation and the windows lost heat from every way possible. The winds were howling and it felt nearly as cold inside as it was outside. We taped trash bags over the windows but the wind was so strong that the bags looked as if they were inflating each time another gust blew through, and at times the bags came off of the windows. There was a fireplace, but no wood. There was a restaurant next door and we knew that the owner had pallets stacked up behind the store. My husband brought over as many as he could find and we burned those to try to keep the living room warm and we stayed in that room as much as possible. As for food, dinner that night consisted of one egg, one small potato and enough burger to make one small patty. I fried all of that together in one pan, and either we were very hungry, or it just wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. There were numerous restaurants, gas stations and convenience stores in the neighborhood, but nothing was open. Not even the little convenience stores that we've all come to rely on when nothing else is open. For that brief time it seemed as if our entire world had come to a complete stop.

Marion

When the blizzard hit, I was just out of college, working at Koepke Motors in Lakewood and living with my parents in Brooklyn Heights. That day, the owner, Bob Koepke sent everyone home at noon. Bob and I spent much of the afternoon putting duct tape around every window and doorway to keep the snow from entering through even the smallest of gaps. I hung around typing out W-2 forms for the employees and left around 7:00 pm figuring that all the death, destruction, murder and mayhem would be over by then. I was wrong. The streets were getting worse and grid lock ruled every intersection. I was driving a Volkswagen Scirroco at that time. It was front wheel drive and rather tiny. I made my way home mostly on the sidewalks which many people had shoveled. Once I made it home, I was greeted by my parents who had lost power in the house because of downed power lines. It took two days to restore power. In the meantime, we heated the house with our wood burning fireplace and by using the stove and oven. My car, parked in the driveway, was facing into the wind. I could not start the car because the snow had packed in under the hood, covering everything. Just as well. The streets in both directions kept drifting over. Unless I left the house within five minutes of the snow plow's passing, I was unable to go anywhere in either direction. When the weather calmed down, CEI was able to reestablish power to the house, I had my car towed to the dealership to defrost, and life returned to normal.

Thirty years later, Koepke Motors is now North Olmsted Mercedes Benz. Bob Koepke has passed away. I have had a few other jobs since then. But my parents are still alive and well and living in Brooklyn Heights.

I also remember the February '79 blizzard. I'll write you next year and let you know how I survived that one!

Sincerely,

Mark

Hi,

I was only 5 at the time of the Blizzard of '78, but what I do remember is that my parents had a century home in Strongsville that was extremely cold and drafty. It was so cold that they hung blankets over the doorways to the dinning room and all 5 of us slept in the dinning room with a kerosene heater and the tv.

Susan

A simple evening when on the TV the screen flashed the single word blizzard---weather warnings were being posted by the National Weather Service. It was to be a serious storm, arriving in the middle of the night, heavy snow totals and high winds were predicted. OK, I trott off to bed. My boys were 3 and 5 at the time, so we would be up early.

During the night one of the boys awakens and needs the usual glass of water. I look outside as I had not heard any "high winds". Starry sky, calm trees, alls right with the world. I figure "they" really blew it this time. Ha, Ha, Ha. This is approximately 4 a.m. I return to my warm snuggy bed!

Bob, the husband, awakens at 6:30 to begin the process of getting ready for work- the first words out of his mouth are Holy S---! What I reply---then I look out the window, oh my a very different world greeted me from what I had seen at 4 a.m.

Our boys had a swing set in the backyard and we watched as the rungs on the ladder to the slide disappeared one after the other. It snowed for the majority of the day- and those winds howled. At one point the snow was so white I closed the draperies as all of the snow outside of the windows was making me feel claustrophobic.

Hubby made it to work, took an hour and usually it took 25 minutes. He was then sent home, and they were out for another day while the roads were being cleared. Thankfully our power held and there were no major problems.

The National Weather Service and our local people were quite right- it was an experience.

On that night I was visiting friends, there was a total of 7 adults 3 females and 4 males. We were there to play a friendly game of poker. Unknown to us there was a storm coming, about 1 am that morning I decided that I had lost enough and started out the front door and faced a wall of snow. You could not see out snow was coming down and blowing into white controls. I quickly closed the door and annouced to everybody that we are not going anywhere soon. My stomach was empty and the host, (you quessed it was male) being a man he did not store food. I found one cup of uncooked rice, 3 eggs, two hot dogs and a tablespoon of butter. So coming from a large family I could strenght a meal quicker than the tv cooks. I boiled the rice, beat the three eggs, cut the two hotdogs in to tiny pieces. Once the rice had cooled I mixed the eggs and hotdogs in with the rice and fried all together making a very large skillet of food. The smell reached the players in the dining room and not only was I hungry but they were too. No one had bothered to see what the host had to eat before the game. So I made sure everyone got two tablespoons of the food, not knowing if we were going to get home anytime soon. We drunk sugar water to keep from getting too hungry. The skillet of rice, eggs and hotdogs last until the next evening. Than someone said they had candy and chips in their car so they made it out to get it and we dined on that. Man you talking about how to surive a storm. First make sure that where ever you are there is wnough food to last out the days you have to spend in. Today I do not eat rice, eggs and hot dogs mixed together and have strong distaste for sugar water. Keep plenty of candles and make sure there is heat. In other words it is best to be perpared for anything.

Thank you, Sandra

I remember being afraid not to report for work for my office job at the then Republic Steel Corporation on Independence Road for fear of being fired. My husband put a snow shovel in my car in case I would get stuck. One of my most vivid memories getting there was driving, or rather sliding the car down the Valley Road hill to Jennings Road. I saw cars on either side of the hill that had slid off the side of the road. I basically just prayed I would make it to the bottom. From there it took me 2 hours for what normally would have been a 5-minute drive. Once I was safe (although a bit shaky) at work, the then manager of the department made note of those that showed and then after about 20 minutes told us to go home!! I lost a couple of floor mats that I used for traction and had to dig out once or twice, but made it home! Hey, my loyalty paid off...I survived the blizzard, LTV bankruptcies, and made it to the day LTV shutdown in 2001! Oh, did I mention I lost my pension?

Note to my current employer -- God forbid there is another blizzard like 1978, but if there is, I am reporting off for that day!

Debbie

MY MOTHER WAS TAKEN TO WADS-RITTMAN HOSPITAL EARLY THAT MORNING BY AMBULANCE & OUR FATHER WENT/HER. HE CALLED THAT EVE. TO TELL US SHE WASN'T ANY BETTER & MY STOMACH STARTED CRAMPING. IWAS A WEEK OVERDUE / MY PREGNANCY. MY SISTER & I WERE HOME BY OURSELF SO SHE CALLED THE POLICE DEPT & THEY SOON SENT A SQUAD CAR & THERE WAS A SNOWPLOW IN FRONT OF IT. OFFICER GROSJEAN PUT US IN THE BACKSEAT & GOT US TO THE ER & THEY TOOK ME IN & HE SAID SHE'S HERE TO SEE HER MOTHER SHE WAS BROUGHT IN EARLY THIS MORNING & THE ORDERLY SAID NO SIR SHE'S HAVING PAINS. HE SAID OH MY I SAID I FELT SO SAFE/YOU HAVING YOU'RE OWN CHILDREN & HE SAID I WAS ALWAYS ON DUTY & LAUGHED! WE HEADED FOR THE ELEVATOR FOR JUST AS THEY LAID ME ON THE BED MY WATER BROKE, & JUST AS MY SISTER THE NURSE & I GOT TO THE FLOOR OF THE MATERNITY WARD & THE ELEVATOR STOPPED & MY FATHER WAS THERE WAITING MY DAUGHTER WAS BORN BEFORE WE COULD EVEN GET OFF. THAT MORNING I WAS OUT AFTER THEY LEFT IN THE AMBULANCE AND OUR NEIGHBOR MAN, ALBERT LAPP, HE WAS IN HIS LATE 70'S ABOUT MY FATHERS AGE SAID YOU'LL DO ANYTHING TO HAVE THAT BABY I SAID IT'S GOING TO COME ONE WAY OR ANOTHER BUT WE WERE ALWAYS OUT THERE TOGETHER SHOVELING SNOW I HAVE SOME WONDERFUL MEMORIES OF THE 2 OF US. & WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR MY BABY & I TO COME HOME ALBERT CAAME OVER TO THE HOSPITAL & BROUGHT US HOME. HE SAID NOW I SEE THAT SHOVELING SNOW DID IT AND LAUGHED.

Joy

I very much recall that blizzard. I was a senior at Lincoln-West High School at the time and lived on Buckeye Court which was behind the bank at W. 25th & Clark. I woke up for school and looked outside and couldn’t believe the snow and wind. I told my mom there was a blizzard outside and that I bet there wasn’t any school. My mom, who was still in bed because she worked late, turned on the radio, listened for a minute or two, then proceeded to tell me she didn’t hear anything about cancellations so “Go to School!” was the order of the day. I argued briefly but to no avail. Naturally I did what I was told so I proceeded to encumber myself with a one-piece snowmobile suit, snow boots, two pair of socks, scarf, hat, mittens …basically anything I could find that looked really warm, and off to school I went. I looked a lot like Ralphie’s little brother in the movie A Christmas Story. I can remember walking at almost a 45 degree angle against the wind (backwards a lot of the time because the snow was stinging my eyes so bad) and it taking me a good 15 minutes to go about 200 yards. I turned the corner onto W. 25th and went into a little store that miraculously was open for a break (I think the guy must have lived upstairs from the store). The man behind the counter looked at me and asked me what I was doing out on a day like that. I told him I was going to school and of course he told me there was no school so back home I trudged. When I got home I thanked my mom for being so concerned about my education and informed her of the no school situation. She proceeded to tell me that the incident would just build my character. Well I suppose it did but I will still never forget it. I recall in the days after the storm (we didn’t have school for at least a week if I remember correctly) walking to my friend’s house on sidewalks with snow piled up head high on either side. It was like walking through tunnels almost. Quite a scene around the city to say the least.

Regards,

Anita

...I was a paper carrier for the Times Reporter (5th grade)...I delivered 100+ papers in a blizzard!....on a bicycle!!! lol

Jeff

I was living with my parents at the time. My dad and I both worked in downtown Cleveland, and he mentioned that it was very windy out and he hadn't seen any buses on the road yet (you could see the bus stop from our house). Well, when the wind picked up my parents' charcoal BBQ grill and literally tossed it through the glass-enclosed back porch, my dad and I knew we weren't going to work that day. Poor Daddy then had to dig out a sheet of plywood and try to close the hole in the porch wall. Luckily for him the wind held the plywood straight up and he didn't have to even nail it!

Cheryl

We were living in Niles, Ohio during the Blizzard of 78. I was 9 month pregnant. My husband (ex-husband now) worked for the City of Niles as a lineman. He had been working 48 hours straight. He came home on January 27th in the early evening and immediately fell asleep in his recliner. I woke him up a short time later asking him, “What does it feel like when your water breaks?” Off we went to Trumbull Memorial Hospital. Driving there was a nightmare. We made it and 12 hours later, 9 AM on January 28, 1978, our son James was born.

This is why I live in FL now!!! Just kidding.

Kathy

What’s funny about me sending you my story is I was just telling my almost 16 year old son a couple days ago about this very blizzard of 1978 and he didn’t believe me. I was only 5 years old…well 5 ½. We had just moved into our new house in Macedonia. We moved from Cleveland to Macedonia. I’ll never forget my dad had to park are station wagon (yes it was the one with the wood down the sides of it) on the street because the snow was sooooo high we could not pull into our driveway. When he got me out of the car the snow was actually taller than me!!!! He had to carry each of us kids, me 5 ½, my sister who was 2 to the house through this massive blast!!! I remember him telling me to stay in the car when we pulled up and him and my mom having to get out of the car and actually tunnel through the snow to get to the house. Then once we were all in the house my dad and uncle took me to venture outside in the backyard. I remember my mom had me bundled up like that kid on Christmas Story!!! I couldn’t get my arms down let alone barely walk I had so much clothes on!!! We went out to back yard and my dad was holding me and him and my uncle took each one of my arms and set me down in the snow and I disappeared!!! It truly was the most unbelievable thing I remember as a kid! We made tunnels through the snow for days and days after that storm!!! It was the coolest thing ever!!! And the great thing was it was that fantastic super packing snow which made for great fort making and tunnel digging!!

Anyways that’s my 1978 blizzard story. I wish my parents had a video camera so I could have showed my son that truly unbelievable event! I’ll have to call my parents and see if they had taken any pictures of that fateful storm. If they do I will certainly send them to you!!!

Thanks for reading!!

Dana

Wow, it does not seem like 30 years! I was 19 yrs. old and living in Solon. I worked at Richmond Mall at the time and was waiting for my father to pick me up (he was 1 1/2 hrs. late). It took us 3 hours to get back to Solon but from what I have been reading today, I guess we were lucky to get home! My Mom was terrified...ahh the beauty of the cell phone now!

Vikki

It was January 31, 1978 when I had to take my driver’s test to get my license. I was 16, I wanted my license, and nothing, not even, what seemed to be like a foot of snow that day, would stop me from getting it! The streets were still snow covered and I had to drive with probably the crabbiest tester at the BMV. At the time, we had to be tested on parallel parking and I remember backing into a huge snow drift in the parking lot thinking that I was now going to flunk my test. I received a 100% score on both tests. Luckily, my driver’s education classes were during that winter and I learned to drive in the snow and the tips that my instructor gave me I still use to this day 30 years later.

Lisa

I was 8 years old at the time of the blizzard of '78. I remember that there was a snow drift from the ground to the roof of our house. We looked out the glass door and saw white. My dad and I built a snow cave and tunnel in that drift. We had a blast!

My husband remembers people driving snowmobiles to check on other people around town and going to the store for them.

Thanks for bringing up the memories.

Kandi

We had a 7 month old son, my father dying in the hospital and two horses in our barn 200 feet away from the house to care for. We live at the county line of Thompson and Madison in the heart of the primary snow belt. One of the snow drifts in our backyard was as high as the clothesline pole..maybe 6 feet? Our four foot high fence in the pasture was hidden and I walked over it to get to the barn twice a day. The Madison Phone building for Western Reserve Telephone had an explosion and a wall blew out which stopped several lines access. I could not call Madison from Thompson and when my father passed the National Guard brought my brother here in a 4 Wheel drive Jeep to give me the news. State Route 528 was impassable for days, they used bulldozers etc. to clear one lane. Drifts on our road closed it for about a week and you could see the tops of pickup trucks buried in the snow on our road. And of course it was the second winter we lived here. Not something you forget or want to experience again!

Marcia

It sure was a day to remember! At my house we all needed to get to work. My brother had a 1950 chevy that he was so proud of. It was the only vehicle out of the 4 of us that could get us all to work in the wind and snow drifts. It was great! We live in Canton and that blizzard trip started at my dad's business on Cleveland Ave., on to Aultman Hospital then out to Belden Village. We didn't have a bit of trouble passing up salt trucks and "new" cars slipping and sliding!!

Kathy

I’ve always lived in Lake County. Love the snow but don’t like driving in it when it’s “snowbelting” bad. Remember several huge snow accumulations. But this one will always stand out.

Management let us out early from Diamond Shamrock Tech Center (Fairport). It was the worst white-out. The only way I knew where the road was – stay centered between telephone poles on opposing sides of the road. Fortunately, I made it home. I should have stayed at work….

Gary

I remember it well. I was 16 and I had my very first day of driving school. We lived in Rocky River at the time so my instructor and I headed out on I 90 towards Westlake. What was scheduled to be a one hour driving lesson turned into a six hour ordeal. The instructor let me drive the entire time so not only did I complete my in car obligations I got first hand experience with instruction on how to handle driving in the snow in Cleveland.

Alice

I was a junior at Cleveland Heights High School ... first time our school had closed due to winter weather - WE WERE ECSTATIC.

I walked about a quarter mile to my best friends house where a group of us me and we hung out all day together ... had snowball fights, built snowmen, played football, went sled riding at Cain Park, warmed up afterwards to hot chocolate, soup & sandwiches compliments of her mom.

Then we all headed home for dinner ... life was good then!

I remember it as if it were yesterday ... life was simpler then yet we couldn't wait to get out of school ... if we only knew then what we know now :)

Regards,

Leslie

I WAS @ TRI/C METRO CAMPUS, AND IT WAS A LOT OF US THAT LIVED IN THE KINSMAN AREA. SOME OF US CRYED BECAUSE WE DID NOT NO HOW WE WERE GOING TO GET HOME. CLASSES WERE OVER WITH AROUND 6:00 P.M. AND MOST OF US DID NOT HOW WE WERE GOING TO GET HOME.

IT WAS A NIGHTMARE… SO SOME OF US BUNCHED UP IN ONE OF OUR NEIGHBOR’S CAR AND HE BROUGHT SOME OF US HOME, IT WAS AROUND 1:00 A.M. MY MOM AND GRANDMOTHER WERE SO HAPPY. IT WAS SCARY. THANK YOU LARRY.

LISA

I took a friend to pick up his wife from work and come back home. We left Rockside Park Towers at 271 & Rockside at 14:00, drove to an Ohio Bell building about 5 blocks west of Chagrin and Warrensville Road and didn't get home until 22:30. We helped people push their snow bound cars, passed EMS units getting people out of their stranded vehicles. The only thing that kept us going was that i remember filling my gas tank on the way home from work the night before.

So it took us 8 1/2 hours to go approx 10 miles. When we got back to the apartment all the entrances were blocked with either snow or abandened cars. I was working 3rd shift at the time, and i called work to say i wouldn't be in. THAT WAS ONE DAY AND TRIP I'LL NEVER FORGET.

Roger

January 26, 1978. My family of 7 moved from Cleveland to Medina (due to bussing starting and my parents wanted us in the 'burbs instead). It was a sloe move with a caravan of cars and moving truck but we made it. The storm knocked out the electricity for 5 days. We had a fireplace. The National Guard came down our yard (who could see the driveway?) They were wonderful..made sure we had food and water and heat. My 4 sisters & myself & parents invited them in for some coffee but they had more homes to check. What do I remember about the Blizzard of '78? The National Guard are wonderful people who really care. And 6 foot drifts made cool snow forts. Sharon Murphy

Sharon

I remember the forecasters saying we were in for a shotgun setup of two weather systems converging over NE Ohio. My family lived in West Park. School was called off at St. Eds. My Mom tried to get to the rapid station to get to work, made it half way up the street and had to hang on to a tree to keep from being blown away. She was only 5'2'' maybe a hundred lbs. If I remember correctly we had hurricane force winds up to 79 mph. I remember drifts up to 7ft tall and my buddies and I went out after the 3 day blizz and cleaned up snow shoveling.

John

I was 15-1/2 years old, my brother was 14 and my sister was 8. We lived in Garfield Heights at E. 135th St. and Granger Rd. We had the old farmhouse that had a 200 foot long driveway by 2 lanes with a 4 car garage (barn). Both my brother and I had to keep this drive clear during this and every snowstorm that came through.One lane wouldn't be "too" bad, but 2! Also, I remember shoveling (don't remember snow blowers back then) parts of the street, as this was a bus line for GTS back then. Route 88 if I remember right. There was a bus stop at our house, and people would wait for the bus (when the buses started again) in our porch, which was enclosed. I don't think we had school for at least a week. If memory serves me right, the most we got was about 28" plus, of course, blowing and drifting. But the piles from those drifts, and from the shoveling, was well over 5 feet.

Ken

Didn't it start he winter of '76/77? I lived in North Royalton, Ohio then. I remember that it was bitterly cold in December of 1976 and I had graduated from high school that year. My grandmother died the week between Christmas and New Years Day that year. We couldn't bury her because the weather was so bad and the ground so frozen that they had to leave the casket in the mausoleum until March before they could open the ground. My Uncle and Aunt came in from California that December for the funeral and my Aunt was a California native and we all thought she was going to freeze to death. We had a lot of snow and very cold days. Snow plowing was a very lucrative business that year. My boyfriend ( now my husband) bought his first 4X4 pickup truck in February 1977. We spent many hours snow plowing that winter. We often had to leave the truck running so it didn't freeze the fuel or anything. His family farmed and it was very hard on the cattle. We had to make sure everything was sheltered and bedded down and we had a terrible time trying to keep the water thawed. We used the 4 wheel drive tractors and the motocross motorcycles to travel between 2 farms to feed the cattle. They were the only things that made it throught the snow. Some how we made it to spring. The following winter 1978, it was the same, snow and blowing snow. Cold and frigid. Below zero for days in a row. Again we snow plowed so many drives, because they kept blowing over. Several of my husband's friends also had 4X4 pickups with plows. When you are 18/19/20 years old, it was a great way to make money . They didn't have all these plowing ordinances and permits, you just went out and helped everybody.The guys went out together in a group so no one got stuck or stranded. Of course the girls went along to keep them company. They plowed for 27 hours straight one day, came home, ate, took a short nap and went right back out again. It was hard to plow because there was no more room to put the snow. And we did this all without cell phones and GPS. We used CB's to keep in touch. We had people calling our parent's house asking for us to come and plow and every now and then, we would call home from a payphone to check in. Do you remember payphones? We had to plow one man out one night. He had a drive that must have been a mile long and he and his wife a small child were stuck in a house with no electric or heat. The drive couldn't be plowed because of all the drifts, but we plowed him out though the corn fields that were flat and frozen. We helped him get out and on to the road so they could go to his parents house with the child to keep warm. We made sure all the neighbors were safe and warm. Many people were without power and they kept warm with the fireplaces and kept the water running in the pipes to keep them from freezing. Some stores were open and you could get the basic items like milk and bread, but there was trouble getting more stock to the store and the shelves quickly emptied. Schools were closed and some roads were completely shut down. No one went to work unless it was a critical job, like police, fire or doctor or nurse. Some nurses (one of our neighbors)and doctors had to stay at Parma Hospital because there was no way to get them home or bring in replacements. We have had some snow storms since then, but nothing like those 2 winters as far as I can remember.

Berni

we were living on Tucker Road in the Lucas Ohio region.

one of our Tucker Road neighbors was cutting trees for firewood. A tree fell on the powerlines and as a result we were without power for three days. the storm was so strong that we had snow in our attic and garage. we barricaded ourselves in the lower level of our home which had a fireplace. sometimes the winds were so strong that we had a backdraft of smoke and soot. this area of our home was half in the ground with large sliding glass doors to a patio and several smaller windows. the snow completely covered the glass doors and all the windows so we wereliving in semi darkness even in daylight hours. we were forced to melt snow in the fireplace to [sort of] flush the toilet since our water source was a well and a pump and electricity.

we bundled under blankets in our family room and were lucky enough to have peanut butter and bread. our generous neighbors across the road invited us for a hot meal one morning. they had a wood stove, fresh eggs and HOT coffee! what a treat. a kindness one never forgets.........thank you Nieswander family. Large earthmoving equipment was required to open the road. before the power company restored our elec. my husbands employer made it up the hill with his tractor and brought us firewood. How many bosses of today would care that much for employees! Another kindness we will never forget. Bless you James Fanello!

the blizzard was a life lesson. since that time we have always had emergency supplies on hand AND i discovered that i was in LOVE with Ready kilowatt.

The Kinstle's -Village of Deaton Creek, Hoschton Georgia

I was attending college at West Side Institute of Technology, I lived in Twinsburg. The day before there were a lot of absences , so the director of the school went around to every classroom and told everyone that the school will never be closed. His words were ( I don't care if it's -240 F below 0 and 10 feet of snow This School Will Never Close). The next morning (Blizzard of 78) It took me 3 hours to get to school and guess what. THE WEST SIDE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WAS CLOSED. It took me another 5.5 hours to get home. Also I was involved in 3 fender benders. The damage in all 3 cases was on my rusted out Cougar and the other parties didn't want to file any reports. What a day!!

Milton

My mother, Denise, a was VERY pregnant with my middle brother Kevin. (He was born 2/25/78.) We were at her girlfriend's house visiting, when it started to get very stormy out side. So we stayed. I was fine at 8 am. By noon, I was hot with fever and terribly sick. My mom called our family Dr., Dr.Thomas from Euclid, OH. After she described my symptoms and their progression, he asked her to bring me in to see him. She explained that she was due any day and it was too bad out. The Dr picked my up in his car and took me to Hillcrest. By the time my mother finally got there, I was in a room, under an oxygen tent, given medicine, and fast asleep in the cancer wing. ( I had Pneumonia. Back then they put pneumonia patients in the cancer wing as it wouldn't matter.... sad but true.)

Monica

I remember that storm vividly. At the time, I lived in a 2 family home, upstairs. I was coming out of the bedroom into the dining (with 2 large windows)….I saw the very very large tree come down right toward these 2 windows! I ran back into the bedroom. The tree luckily landed directly down the middle of the driveway, so the house was not damaged. The people next door whose tree it was, were in Florida at the time. We had to get permission to cut up the tree that was blocking our driveway! The man did not want the tree cut up, but we would have been trapped in the driveway if we had not cut it up and remove it.

Marie

I was released from the Navy on 26 January 1978 but couldn't get home for two days because the storm shut down the entire eastern seaboard.

I had planned on taking a Greyhound bus home from Norfolk and was able to get as far as Pittsburgh before getting trapped overnight. Greyhound wouldn't send their buses out until they were sure that the weather was going to cooperate, but eventually, around 4 am or so, Trailways decided that they would send their buses through and honoured the tickets from Greyhound customers. I eventually got home on the 28th, taking two days to make what would normally be about a 12 hour trip.

It was amazing looking out the window of the Greyhound between Norfolk and Pittsburgh, because there were any number of cars off the side of the road, semis with only their roofs poking out of the drifts and there was snow everywhere you looked. The winter of 1993-94 kind of reminded me of this a little bit, though that storm system lasted almost a month but didn't dump as much snow in that period as the blizzard did in a mere 36-48 hours.

Jeff

I was a freshman at Kent State.

The night of the blizzard, my roomate wanted a pizza, and was able to actually find one pizza place that was still delivering. By the time the pizza was delivered, it was, of course, ice cold. He had to take his blow dryer and warm it up !

Two other guys ventured out on foot to get beer at a nearby convenience store. We thought maybe we'd never see them again !

Classes were canceled for the whole week.

MT Mentor OH

It was my third year at Miami Univ. and I was home (in West Akron) when it happened.

My grandmother had given us her old Chrysler Newport.

This was one heckofa car.

Enormous, classy, and distinctly roadworthy. In prior white “dustings”, the car just seemed to fly by everybody else out on the road and I just knew that car could easily handle that enormous white blanket out there. In fact, as I prepared my departure, I envisioned having to certainly come to the aid of other stranded motorists who were not as fortunate as I was with that Chrysler.

Alas, I was outvoted. My dad would not agree to my intended safe passage, and, what certainly would have been a far more fantastic story, actually never occurred.

I missed a couple of days at school as did many other kids, but my delusions of grandeur remain!

Craig

Yep, it is etched in my mind, like yesterday.

Just moved into a new home in Uniontown in July 77. Wife and I were sleeping, when I woke up about 2am and hearing the wind screaming. Then I laid there a minute and the walls started creaking. About that time my wife started moving and I said, "you hear the walls"? She did a perfect sit up ;>) and jumped out of bed. We went to the living room and was up the rest of the night. Our 8 yr old son slept thru it all. He was excited though when he woke up.

We were VERY lucky that we never lost power. That was our biggest concern!! If I remember the whole NE area was shut down for 2 to 3 days? That was 29 years ago, we are in the same house, but it would be of more concern now as we are older. Back then we were in our mid 30s and still felt some what invincible (I guess) as most young people feel.

Ed & Carol

The morning of the blizzard, I had driven my husband to the North Royalton Animal Hospital. He was the veterinarian there. At that time, we lived in Strongsville, Ohio. It was snowing, but hadn't turned into a blizzard yet.

I bowled in the Metro Traveling League on Fridays; that day we were bowling in North Royalton. I sat in the parking lot waiting for the other bowlers; no one else showed up.

I drove back to the animal hospital. By then the barometer was dropping fast and warnings were advising everyone of the impending blizzard. The decision was to close the animal hospital so employees could get home. One of the employees couldn't get his car started. He raised the hood and the entire engine compartment was one big mass of solid snow and ice.

We drove back to Strongsville. Our home was in the Bob Schmitt developement, the Heathers. The force of the wind blew snow through the corner trim on the outside of our house. That snow came into our foyer, at the front door. We looked into the crawl space of the attic and there was a layer of snow, covering the thick insulation.

Fortunately, no harm came to us through the '78 blizzard. It was an event that one will always remember.

Rachel

My best memory of the blizzard is that it was my birthday, and I got to stay home from school, (Yay!) But my parents had to cancel my party. (Boo)

Kevin

My dad had passed away a few months earlier, then our furnaces went out in our house in Warren. My mom, brother & I, along w/ the dog, slept in the family room, close to the fireplace for about a week. I remember it being a very cold week but we all got thru it!

Michael

I looked out the window and it didnt seem to bad I had put off making my walk for cancer door to door for a couple of weeks so that day I decided to go and do it I walked and knocked the winds were so bad and I was blown here and there until I finally walked back home by this time the snow was coming down in buckets well just about... when I got home I went in the front door instead of walking to the back of the house... didnt want to go any further ... my dog wanted out i opened the back door to let him out and the storm door blew off its hinges and went flying in the air.. what a sight...I yelled for the dog cause I could'nt see him and then he finally came back to the door and came in.. at that point I knew we were in for trouble... I heard about the truck driver who was buried in the snow, truck and all, for days...I ended up with pneumonia from doing my walk for cancer...to cold to fast and out to long...not really a big story however, I wont forget it... I also remember a snow storm back in the 50's it snowed so bad and heavy with thunder and lightning.. I was a young girl and so afraid....esp. of the thunder with snow.....Have a great day..God Bless Gayle

i was working the night shift at fisher~fazio's warehouse in bedford heights. we heard reports that the weather was bad and getting worse. after our shift, walking to the parking lot i kept wondering where exactly i parked my car. the drifting snow made most of the cars invisable. when i did find it, i started digging it out by hand, at least enough to open the driver's side door. the battery was dead. mine wasn't the only one. i lived about three miles down richmond road and was lucky enough to catch a ride to st.jude's church. from there i could walk through the back parking lot and a field connected to the condominium complex where i lived. the church lot was a wide open area and easy to cross but the field of snow put me in snow drifts up to my chest. at times i really didn't think i would, or could, go much further. i kept thinking about the puppy i had that was home alone and dying to go outside by now. just kept pushing forward with my body weight. finally made my ! way to the door and inside my home. grabbed my pup barney and put him outside the front door where i kicked a few feet of snow away. we were both happy to go inside. as i peeled off the layers of clothes i glanced in the mirror and actually did not recognize my own face. it was a deep reddish purple. fortuneately, i was only 28 years old at the time. don't think i would survive that walk home today. rick

Right before the blizzard of 1978, My grandmother, who lived in Enid, Oklahoma had passed away. We took a flight to Oklahoma for the funeral, and then a flight to Kansas see other relatives who wasn't well enough to attend. When we tried to fly back to Cleveland, they had a big snow storm, the airport was closed. Once they got it somewhat clear, the snow storm hit Kansas, and their airport was close. We ended up being gone away from home for 2 weeks. By the time we got home (Cleveland Ohio), it was pretty evident that it had been a serious snowstorm. The snow was piled so high and people was still trying to dig themselves out. Our car wouldn't start. We had to get our driveway plowed, before we could get in.

Vera

I was a senior in High School in 1978. I was driving home from school that afternoon, and the wind was blowing the snow so hard you could not see past the hood of your car. You could not see if the traffic lights were red or green.

Luckily, I only had a few miles to drive home. The side streets had not been plowed and the snow was up to the bottom of my car. I kept getting stuck. I had to keep getting out and kick the snow away from my tires with my feet. A five minute drive home took about 45 minutes. Of course being 18 years old I was not dressed for the weather.

After the roads were all clear a few days later, there were snow drifts from the plows at least 6 to 8 feet on the sides of the road. It was the worse snow storm that I can remember in my lifetime.

Kathy Concord, OH